While I live in a beach town I have never wanted to decorate my house in a coastal theme. However after dealing with depressing blue and gray rooms all winter long (previous owner colors) I have been working to figure out exactly how I want to paint and decorate each room. Currently I am working on the upstairs and all my inspiration centers around coastal charm especially when it involves white, neutral hues and browns.

With the Fourth of July just around the corner many of us will be traveling and some of us will be traveling with our pets. Jack and I travel often so I thought I would share with you the items I always keep in Jack’s travel bag. What’s in your pets travel bag?

Summer arrived on Friday and so did strawberry season in
Michigan. At Friday’s local farmers market I bought a flat (8 quarts) of
strawberries and after eating just about half of them I decided to make some
sweet treats with it. First on the list was strawberry pie… a classic favorite.

Summer has officially begun and what’s not to love? The days are sunnier, longer and warmer. So there is no better way to celebrate the season than with a summer checklist filled with seasonal fun. I hope it inspires you to make your own list or do some of the activities on my list.

Summer is officially here! My weekend plans include a trip to the farmers market, baking a fruit pie, making summer treats for Jack and plenty of time at the beach that is if the stormy weather holds off. How will you be spending the first weekend of summer?

One of the simplest and cheapest ways to add character to your yard is with stepping-stones. The possibilities are endless when it comes to designing your stones. I wrote on mine with skewers and also placed stones on them from Lake Michigan. I also decided that I would be making more this weekend to use as Christmas presents for family.

Monday night I made peanut butter cookies (this recipe) for a cookout yesterday with friends. The smell of the peanut butter from the cookies was enough to drive Jack crazy. So I decided I would make a batch of peanut butter cookies especially for the pups at the cookout. The “cookies” were a huge hit with the dogs! I used all-purpose flour (whole wheat does not sit well with my little dog) but you can substitute it for whole wheat flour or do half all purpose and half whole wheat.

Directions
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1. In a large bowl combine water, peanut butter and oil.
2. Add flour in small amounts.
3. Knead to form a dough.
4. Continue to knead until all flour is incorporated.
5. Drop balls of dough onto a cookie sheet and create the crosshatch look as if
you were making peanut butter cookies for yourself.
6. Preheat oven to 350 and bake 13-20 minutes depending on size
7. Allow to cool before serving to your pet.

When 90% of the weekend is spent enjoying the outdoors meals need to be quick and easy, and they were just that on Saturday. Marinated chicken thighs and vegetables cooked on the grill while quick and easy Italian garlic rounds took under five minutes to assemble and 16 minutes in the oven made for a perfect summer meal. To create the rounds: flatten one tube of Crescent Rounds and place them on a greased baking sheet, mix together ½ cup mayo, 2/3 cup parmesan cheese, garlic powder and Italian herb seasoning. Top rounds with mixture bake at 400 for 13-17 minutes.

With the official start of summer on Friday I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to pull together some of my favorite recipes of the season. Here’s to sweet treats, bright nails, barbecues, trips to the beach and lounging outdoors.